Collectible / Art, Design
TESTAE. Vases born from Fragments.
INTRO
We live in Rome and, while walking through the neighborhood of the same name, we often pass by Monte Testaccio, also known as Monte dei Cocci. It’s an artificial hill, about 55 meters high and a kilometer in circumference, built from fragments of amphorae once used to transport goods and unloaded at the nearby river port of Testaccio. In ancient Roman times, goods typically reached Rome by sea. Once they arrived at the port of Ostia, they were transported up the Tiber River to the port of Ripa Grande, where they were unloaded. There, oil was transferred and taken to the Capitoline market, while the amphorae (which couldn’t be reused) were broken and carefully stacked to save space. Lime was used to bind the shards together and to neutralize the oil residue, preventing any issues it might cause.
In essence, Monte Testaccio is an archive of about 25 million terracotta amphora fragments, accumulated between the Augustan period and the mid-3rd century AD, forming a small but remarkable artificial hill.
TESTAE. THE CONCEPT
Testa, testae (from the Latin for “tile,” but also “brick” or “fragment”) is a word that represents a fragment belonging to something that once had a form and function but is now lost.
In TESTAE vases, the fragment is carefully reassembled and integrated into a new system, proud of every part it contains. The fragment regains life and value, becoming a precious decorative element applied to a vase with an archetypal shape. It serves as a symbol of memory to be shown, marking both the end of one narrative and the beginning of a new story.
Each TESTAE vase represents a single container as a memory of many containers, a single object carrying the trace of multiple others.
TESTAE. THE IDEA BEHIND THE RESEARCH
The TESTAE vases are the formal outcome of a broader journey. Our visual and conceptual exploration of the fragment actually began years before we created the folder “NaeArchive_023_Frammenti” in our archive.
After all, we were born and raised in Rome, a city fragmented in many ways, where each layer builds upon the one before without ever fully covering it. In this constant layering, the small, precious traces of past identities always remain visible.
That’s exactly why, in recent years, we’ve spent time walking through the city, visiting spaces, and taking thousands of photos, without any specific purpose. Our goal is not to connect fragments through a scientific method or to build a fixed narrative. Instead, we aim to create a typological archive of fragments open to unexpected interpretations and multidisciplinary transformations.
/ ’nɛs:i / Naessi / ¹ Fòlia / ³ Collectible Design / ⁴ ceramics / ⁴ ultra gloss / ⁴ iridescent finish / ⁴ denim blue finish / ⁵ Francesco Marano - Eller studio / ⁵ Elena Mancini, courtesy of Sota / ⁶ Rometti / ⁷ contemporary and classic / ⁷ curved ceramics /
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